The Master Storm
by pantedgieQueen13
Summary: When Sonic gets captured, will he survive Eggman's torture? Read on to find out! I don't own any of the Sonic characters. Have fun with this one...if you dare! Sorry about the typo. This one IS actually complete!
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Daddy!" The two young children came rushing in to greet their father after a long and tiring week.

"Hey, kids," the father patted the little girl and boy on the head and closed the door behind him. "What a storm!" He exclaimed. "It kinda reminds me of…" but, he trailed off.

"Reminds you of what, daddy?" The little girl looked up into her father's eyes questioningly.

"…Nothing," The father reassured her, scooping her up into his arms. "Man, I'm starving! Is dinner ready yet?"

His wife appeared from the kitchen. "It'll be about twenty more minutes."

The father reclined in the old, worn-out chair. "Okay, I can wait. Thanks."

"Sure." And his wife disappeared again.

"Daddy?" The children clamored into his lap. "There's no power. Can you tell us a story? We're bored." The boy and girl shared a mischievous glance.

The father hugged them close to him. "I've told you every story I know how to tell."

The children shook their heads vigorously. "C'mon, daddy! You _always_ have story!"

"Do I now?" The father scratched behind his head thoughtfully. "Okay. I can think of one."

"Cool!" The little boy's eyes grew wide. "Is it about the great hero, Sonic the Hedgehog?"

"Yeah, daddy! Is it?" The little girl tugged her pigtails.

"As a matter of fact," The father grinned. "It is."

"Way cool!" The children once again shared a glance, this time of excitement, and snuggled close to their father as his deep, calm voice filled the room.

"We all know Sonic was a great hero. But, he's had his ups and downs. There was such a time, much on a day like today, that he woke up captured."

"Captured, daddy?" The little girl pulled away from her father's warm chest to stare into his eyes with her own.

"Yes, my little one," The father reassured her. "Captured." He smiled. "Do you _still_ want to hear the story?"

"Yes!" The children cried at the exact same moment.

"Very well," The father chuckled and cleared his throat. "It was some time in the late afternoon when Sonic awoke…"


	2. Time Flies

Time Flies

In just a few short hours, Sonic had been captured.

He knew this only because he'd been here for weeks. And he'd been desperately trying to escape.

The walls of the simple yet good-sized room were a sleek light but dull grey and formed a strange box about him that made him feel more insecure with every passing second. The blank walls were even more monotonous and the oak-paneled door was smooth and unfeeling.

In the farthest corner in front of one of the three windows was a steel four-poster queen-sized bed. The mattress was hard and lumpy, covered by deep grey sheets. The ratty comforter that covered it was a foreboding inky black, like a moonless night. It made Sonic nervous to think of sleeping on that bed. True, for it lay untouched but disheveled, as if someone had slept in it. No one had, to his knowledge.

The rectangular chest squished against the wall where a window covered by dusty deep purple curtains served as the only place to sit besides the lumpy bed and formed the only color (besides the dull purple) in this room excluding him.

This had been his prison for the first few minutes of his capture. He'd run about, pounding upon the walls and screaming, until all the guards in the joint were at his doorstep. He'd fought them when they tried to sedate him. Oh yes; he could still fight and it would take a lot to bring him down. Even after being hit with a tranquilizer (he remembered _that_ as a small pain in his side), he continued to fight, numb as he was, until the supply of guards had run out. Only then had he fallen, he not remembering the needle was still sticking out of his side.

He'd cursed his stupidity the next morning and the ritual of screaming, fighting, and tranquilization continued. By the third day, he was going down during the fight, and by the fifth day, he'd stopped resisting. By the second week, he'd stopped moving altogether. "Hell," he'd said out loud to himself. "I'm captured." He hadn't slept since he'd discovered that.

He knew it from the first second, of course. But, the word he'd used then was "trapped". He was trapped. That was true, even now when the definition of his situation had changed drastically from "trapped" to "captured".

Sonic sighed. It was warm outside. He could tell, because steam had condensed on the window, blocking his vision. It was early; about seven, and the rain was falling like heck upon the ground below. It was a miserable day, probably thanks to the three hurricanes who threatened to barrage his world with a torrent of rain and high waves.

Suddenly his door opened for the first time in what Sonic guessed to be about three weeks. Six guards, strong and durable robots, entered. Two carried long, pointed staffs. "Master Robotnick wishes to speak with you," one of the guards told him in a monotonous tone of voice.

"Does he?" Sonic was uninterested. "It'll be the first I've seen old tubbo my whole stay here." His attitude showed through his calm, cool exterior.

"How dare you insult the great Master!" Another robot stated in the same tone. "You shall be punished for your insolence."

"Yeah, yeah," Sonic waved his hand aimlessly, still not taking his eyes off the wet world outside. "Whatever."

"Master Robotnick requests your presence in the conference room. Orders, orders," The robots stated to each other as well as to him. "Directive: If the rodent is incompliant-"

But Sonic interrupted them. "Rodent?" He scoffed. "Eggman knows me by name!"

The robots continued, ignoring him blatantly. "-Assimilate! Directive: Assimilate! Directive, directive!"

Sonic glared at them through the window, his normally gentle green eyes now turning into burning flames of emerald. "Don't make me fight you, you stupid bots. Hit the scrap heap, has-beens!"

"The rodent has rebelled! Directive: Assimilate! Directive: Assimilate!" The robots sounded more alarmed now. Sonic didn't care to fight back, so he only fell when a sharp electrical current traveled through his nerves and he blacked out.


	3. A Night of Storms

A Night of Storms

The conference room was the strangest area in the whole base, Sonic thought. Here was where he got the full effect of the storm; mainly through the open window at his end. Sonic shivered.

Eggman-or, apparently, "Master Robotnick"-was sitting in the high-backed chair at the head of the table. "Ah," He mused, turning towards his unwilling guest. "Warm pie is good for the soul on days such as this, no?"

Sonic snarled. "And your mother's dumb and ugly, Egg-butt."

"Oh ho ho!" Snorted Eggman, placing a small plate beside him on the shiny black conference table. It had once held food; the fork was haphazardly reclining on the side of the plate and Sonic spied crumbs. "I forget; you are hungry, am I right?"

Sonic shook himself of all weakness (it was hard, considering he was restrained by a stationary robot, who had firmly handcuffed his hands), and stood slightly taller, shaking his head.

"Hmm." The doctor petted his mustache for a moment. "RJ 0014, you can leave the rodent and I alone for now. I want to have a chat with my longtime nemesis."

"Yes, Master," The robot bowed and left. Sonic could no longer distinguish the robot language from his own anymore. He found himself strangely worn out.

"Sit," Eggman gestured to a chair.

Sonic obeyed, but he did it almost reluctantly yet fluidly to show Eggman he was still the only one who ruled himself.

"I suppose you're wondering how I knew you were hungry, rodent. Yes, I can read your emotions, your tones…" Eggman trailed off teasingly.

"My _tones_?" Sonic's horrifically empty stomach tore in half his thin line of patience. He tried to calm himself, begrudging Eggman his obvious contentment. "Never," he added, more calmly. "You can't read me, just as I can't pull you, lard bucket."

"You're scraping the bottom of the barrel for insults, dear boy." Eggman noted, leaning his elbow on the table and placing his chin in his hands. "You're tired."

A growl thundered in Sonic's throat, but he swallowed it. "What do you want, Eggman?" The tone was bitter and cold.

"I _will_ make you crack." Eggman assured him. "I starved you for weeks in a dull grey room with nothing to do but stare out the window. I knew _that_ would break your spirit eventually, and it seems I succeeded before I even thought I would!"

This time, a dry snarl escaped Sonic's chapped lips. "You've broken nothing except your scale, Eggman!"

The doctor recoiled from the table and leaned his chair back, a surprised air about him. "Oh? I see. Do you know even you can't survive long without any water? You must be dehydrated, my dear boy."

"Stop calling me that." Sonic ordered, baring his white teeth. "I'm not weak; I'll hurt you, Eggman!"

"Hollow threats, hollow threats!" Eggman chuckled. "I have robots on call this whole base over! Any score of them will be here if you even touch me!" And, he laughed heartily.

Sonic's body quivered. He knew that the sickness boiling inside of him would bring out his dark form. All the anger and illness bubbling throughout his body would soon bring out Dark Super Sonic. If Eggman irritated him too much, he would lose it.

"Poor boy," Eggman stated softly. "Only fifteen and already you're exposed to such cruelty. I don't want to kill you, my boy. This you must understand. You're much too valuable for me to kill. I will fetch you something to drink right way." He snapped his fingers and a robot instantly brought a liter of light blue Gatorade and set it before him.

Sonic stared at it. The bottle had obviously been chilled quite well, for upon exposure to the room, water droplets began to condense upon it. One became tangible and slid down the slim frame of the bottle until it came upon the table and lay there. He was tempted to lick it, but feared poison and glared at Eggman. "As if I trust you."

"Have it your way, stubborn rodent." Eggman sighed. "I've already told you; I've no intention of killing you. As much as I hate to admit it, I _need_ you. You force me to improve and once you gain enough strength that you can use your namesake speed, I'll be able to manipulate it to fuel my machines." He smiled. "Your capture only brings new challenges and obstacles for me to overcome."

Sonic's eyes once again became furious flames of glowing emerald. "I'll never trust you."

"You haven't been listening, have you?" Eggman groaned and threw up his hands. "I told you; I don't want to kill you!" He growled himself, then calmed. "Well. It won't matter. Your parched throat will surely fuel your decision."

Sonic couldn't make sense of the situation and spent minutes trying to sense a trick. No luck, however. In an instant, his throat began to burn and he knew that he was thirsty despite all this. In fact, quite possibly dehydrated. This realization caused him to attack the bottle; his hands now free by means unknown to him, tear off the cap, and take a sip to test it.

Well "sip" wasn't the word for it. It was more like a gulp. In surprise, Sonic tore his lips away from the mouth of the bottle reluctantly without wasting a drop and waited. Nothing happened. His heart beat, his entire body was strong…in fact, his stomach was even beginning to feel better! Best of all, the liquid rushing down his throat felt relieving. He hastily made the rest of the bottle disappear in two breaths. The bottle made a satisfied thud on the table before him. It now being empty, it rolled around some before stopping.

Eggman, who had effortlessly transferred from his chair to looking wistfully out the closed window to the left of it, laughed softly. "Ah. You see, my nemesis? Nothing to fear…yet."

Sonic hid a yawn behind his gloved fingers. A wave of shock washed over him. "You…" He faltered. "You let me live. You could've allowed me to die of dehydration. I'm your greatest foe, and yet you let me live!"

To all these facts, Eggman nodded; once for each fact. "You see, dear boy? I never joke around as you do. However, tomorrow the real work begins, I'm afraid."

"Work?" Sonic questioned, eyeing his nemesis. "You can't make me do anything."

"I believe I can." Eggman pruned his facial hair.

Sonic stood up so fast; it appeared as if legs had grown out of his body. With the famous speed he was known for, he charged Eggman mercilessly; ready to take on anything his nemesis could bring on. Eggman shook his head and snapped his fingers.

Instantly, Sonic had to fight away robots that seemed to appear out of no where. They were about the size of large butterflies, and every time he whacked at one, it fell out of the sky where it was fluttering about. By the time Sonic had done this several hundred times, he was feeling lightheaded and sick. Eventually, he fell to his knees and the black robots landed on his back. Now that he saw them properly, they were like giant butterflies…with needles on their wings.

"How do you like my Butterlies?" Teased Eggman, bending over at the waist until Sonic could see him. "Their wings have millions of tiny poison needles that enter your skin when you touch them. Every needle takes away just a pinch of your energy, so one is nothing. Even one Butterlie is nothing!" He extended a gloved finger and a Butterlie stepped daintily upon it. "But, by the thousands, they can devastate entire cities!"

Sonic groaned and fought with his heavy eyelids. He knew very well he couldn't close his eyes yet. _Speedball._ He thought. This solution came faster then usual under fatigue. _Just speedball to scatter them, then you can run. Go on._ But, he found that, unfortunately, he could not. He closed his eyes for just a moment, working quickly to recharge himself. In his mind, he could visualize the nutrients from the Gatorade pulsating throughout his body. _Just a little bit longer…yes!_

The fifteen-year-old curled into a tight ball and used his magnificent speed to propel it upward, scattering the many little Butterlies every which way. Then, as soon as they were all off him…he ran. He didn't look back, but he could hear Eggman shouting.

"Get him! Get him! Oh, how I _hate that hedgehog_!"


	4. Extent of the Storm

Extent of the Storm

"Don't let him get away!" Growled the warped voice of Eggman all over his speakers. "Bring me that hedgehog!"

"Directive," Stated the robot hoards as they marched. "Find Sonic, capture him, bring him to Master Robotnick! Find, capture, bring him to Master Robotnick!"

Sonic panted hard, hiding underneath a strange overly-complex machine built by Eggman himself. He watched the feet of the robots as they marched past…and relief washed over him. He crawled out of the damp, dark crawl space and stood, stretching all of his cramped muscles. He was trying desperately to discern an adequate means of escape. But, which way was out?

Sonic forced his fingers into his forehead. "Think on your feet, Sonic!" He demanded. "Find your way out!" His senses turned on maximum percent and he forced them-tired as they were-to discover a way out. All he heard for a long time was the sound of Eggman's voice over the speakers. It sounded almost hypnotic now.

"Get him! Get him! Bring him to me! Get him! Get him! Bring him to me!"

Entranced for a few moments, Sonic opened his other major sense; smell. He knew very well what storm air smelled like, and could easily pick out the odor in a scent-dry place like this. Patience on his part rewarded him. The smell of damp vegetation greeted his nostrils as if saying hello to a long-lost friend. Sonic's eyes shot open.

The smell was faint, so it probably came from a place far off. Sonic could smell it stronger if he wandered east. He did this aimlessly until inadvertently bumping into a wall. Sonic was stunned, but only for a short moment. Gently, he moved his nose along the plaster, sniffing at the glorious smells of the outdoors that greeted him. After quite getting drunk on the smell, he regained some self control and began tapping with his knuckles, looking for a weak spot.

Patience was required, but he froze when a robot passed the door to the room he'd escaped to. He was barely even breathing; he could only tell because after a few minutes, he started to feel dizzy. But, the robot moved on. It obviously had no heat sensors, which Sonic was glad of. "What luck," he gasped, continuing to tap at the wall with his knuckles. Wait-Sonic tapped once more on the spot he'd been on before, then, marking it with his finger, went to tap another place. Yep. It was a hollow area.

Sonic memorized the spot on the wall, carving a small geometric shape upon it, and stared at it as he backed up. He heard the sirens and the robots alerting their brethren; the hoards that roamed this place freely. However, by the time they'd moved into position, it was too late. He was already running at supersonic speeds, still staring at his random geometric shape carved in the plaster, slowing down and jumping, curling into a ball, and carving through the hollow wall.

With bits of plaster painfully wrenching themselves into his fur, his eyes flashed about him as he heard the sirens, saw the red and blue lights flashing, heard also the robots behind him, and smelled nothing but plaster and smoke. The storm blew angry torrents of rain at his eyes, making him unable to see, whilst the robots had only lasers and could see in any weather.

Sonic gathered his energy, so that just when the robots were about to recapture him, he blasted away in an undirected blue blur of pure speed. He ran on through the hurricane's fierce winds and the soaking, unforgiving rain, feeling forest floor under his feet, the wet grasses brushing at his heels. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, going on until they became numb first, and then weak.

He stopped, rubbing his belly against the rough bark of some unknown tree he'd leaned against for support. His legs, the final strongest part of his body, were so weak and pained now that it hurt even to stand. He listened, though the sound of his rapidly beating heart filled his ears, for the robot hoards that he was sure were tailing him…

Nothing. The area was quiet, but for the wind and rain. Sonic was reminded it was a forest as he inched away from some sneaky poison ivy peeping out from the base of the tree, only to stagger into another moss-infested tree and end up on his spiny little bottom on an uncomfortably wet patch of grass. Sonic placed a hand to his head. His glove was ice cold.

His head spun wildly, his vision distorted as if he was on some crazy theme park ride, and his stomach churned right along with it. His throat screamed again for water, but the hedgehog had given up for the moment. "Bah," He mumbled his words incoherently. "Sounds like I'm safe for now." He yawned, shielding his eyes from the now-gentler rain. "I've gotta find shelter."

As soon as he stood, his lightheadedness returned and his legs felt like jello (when, that is, he could feel them to begin with), but he forged on. Dizzy, such as he was, he could've easily walked into the mouth of a nighttime predator, but lucky for him, the storm kept them at bay. At last, Sonic found a plant with large leaves like the ears of elephants. Their size provided shelter, and the ground underneath them was guaranteed to be dry, if not soft and warm.

Sonic, happy to the extent of loss of sanity, fell upon his knees and praised the superior being. With tired but happy abandon, he crawled under the giant leaves and lay there for a few moments. His throat burned and he moaned. It hurt like hell.

Propping his head up on his folded arms, he glanced out at the cold, wet world. It was dry, almost humid, under the protection of the oversized leaves, and Sonic loved it. Satisfied with his temporary shelter, the teen looked about him eagerly.

The leaves made basins which had collected rainwater. Sonic licked his lips. Rainwater was only the most pure water the world over! Quickly, he reentered the unforgiving world and glanced at the leaves. It was true; they'd filled with water most marvelously. Sonic bent and, without thinking, gulped down the rainwater in no time at all, not missing any of the giant leaves on the plant. The rain had slowed to a drizzle by the time Sonic had drank the plants dry.

"Ah," Sonic rubbed his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. With fresh water flowing like blood through his veins, he felt considerably more nourished. And definitely, all the sleepier. The teen gave a yawn, not caring to disguise it, and crawled under the massive leaves. There he fell asleep, dreaming of many things that he forgot until the morning.


	5. Damage

Damage

Sonic awoke with a start, expecting to find out everything was a dream; that he was back in his house, in his bed, smelling his smells, and most importantly eating his breakfast. Good breakfasts always dissolve the worst of nightmares. Sonic moaned and thrashed his head against the ground.

This was no nightmare.

"So," Sonic peered over his folded arms with a long sigh. "All that was real." Yeah, it was. He could feel the ground below him, hear the birds singing in the trees; he watched a squirrel descend and re-ascend a tree, the second time toting a nut, and could feel the humidity of another hurricane-ruled day.

The sky was still overcast, but Sonic was safe…for the moment. It hit him like a bullet as he recalled this. "Gotta move!" He asserted, righting himself. "Gotta run!"

But, he was far too weak. Sonic had attempted to take a step, but was overwhelmed with pain; something so strange, so alien to him in fact, that his body had little remedy for it. He was stuck with only one major clue.

His stomach growled within him. It was a strange, sort of churning noise that didn't deserve the term "growl" at all, for it sounded more like a machine then an animal. A machine that required fixing; and quick.

Despite having traveled the world over and being quite the adventurer as well as a lone wolf, Sonic knew little about fending for himself in the middle of nowhere. Before, when he'd hungered on journeys, he would use money to buy something. It was amazing how instinct could be buried under currency. Sonic's instincts were far worse then buried under a routine of processed, pre-prepared meals. Now his stomach growled, he could barely move without becoming dizzy, and there were no stores in sight.

Except maybe Eggman's tremendous base. Sonic could smell it. He was no more than one hundred miles north of it. How horrible. Sonic forced his legs to move forward, and he became aware of how completely undernourished he actually was.

All strength (or, most of it) had left his arms completely and went to his legs. Little tidbits of energy here and there were needed to blink, swivel his ears, sniff, move his mouth and neck, and of course continually clench and unclench his fists. He felt so alone and pathetic, like a sick deer that cannot keep up with the herd and yet fights to live.

A sudden rustling of underbrush startled him and he turned around on his heel. What he discovered was a small pig. It was tropical, and native to his planet, with a long snout used perhaps for digging up roots, and was rather like a guinea pig in head and habits. It had mahogany fur with deep tan stripes starting at its small round ears and ending at its curly yet bushy tail. It's bright, stupid, ocher eyes and its small size caused Sonic to identify it as a baby; a yearling, at best. His brain came up with two solutions…and two strong urges.

His first urge was to bend to its level slightly and pet it, than walk away. A chivalrous response to the situation, coming from the part of him that had been raised like a civilian. On the other hand, his second strong urge was to wring its fat neck, skin it thoroughly, and use a sharp stone to slice open its belly where the best (and warmest) meat could be found.

Sonic was tempted. He could feel malnourishment, like a poison, rushing through his veins. The two sides fought an epic battle in his brain as he stood there like a dunce waiting for something to happen. When his stomach bothered him again, making him sore, a decision was made.

Sonic bent and scratched under the chin of the innocent baby creature. He could barely believe his own strength! The hunter part of him, which had more than dominated over his chivalrous side during the confusion, wanted to know what was up and pestered him unendingly, forcing his muscles to tremble (even the ones in his legs and feet) and his empty gut made his whole midsection sore.

_What are you doing?! _Screeched the hunter. _It's your prey, so eat it!_

Sonic stroked the soft fur of the pig. It made happy noises in delight and pressed its nose against his arm. Sonic smiled at the innocence and trust of the young pig. How easy it would be, to just lure it away, but… _I can't. It's too cute._

_Cute?! You'd rather die?!_

_It isn't a matter of survival at all._ Sonic ceased petting the pig and stood. The baby squeaked like a mouse and jumped about him in dizzying circles, occasionally rubbing its head against his ankle and biting at his socks and sneakers. He laughed. _It's the strong protecting the weak._

_Excuse me?_ He imagined the hunter's glare. _You'd rather die, then._

_I'm not so weak that I'd take the life of a child._ Sonic sat again, watching the pig sniff around with its snout. He was surprised how much control he had over his actions. _This creature is so young. It's got a long way to go, with many other predators out there._

_City boy._ Scoffed the hunter. _Just you wait. You'll be sorry you didn't listen to me._

The baby pig crawled into Sonic's lap and yawned. The hedgehog sighed and leaned against a tree, looking up through the branches and trying hard to stare through feverish visions brought on by malnourishment (and, perhaps fever as well). _No. I won't be. Everything happens for a reason._

_Do they say the same for everything that _doesn't_ happen? _Sonic chuckled at himself. _You're already delirious. Just EAT THE DAMN PIG! How hard can it be?_

_So hard. _Sonic yawned. _I think that even if I _did_ have the strength to kill it-which I don't-I still wouldn't._

_Why not?_ The hunter crossed his arms over his chest. His stomach was growling, too. But, like so many other instincts buried by humanization, he was buried deep within Sonic under mounds of love and compassion for the creatures of the superior being.

_Like I said, it's too cute._ Sonic yawned, releasing all the oxygen from his body, and fell into a deep slumber.


	6. Dying Swan

Dying Swan

When Sonic awoke, the pig had fled. He thought the word "fled" only after he identified the shadow looming over him. "Metal." Sonic groaned grudgingly.

Metal Sonic's navy and gray steel exterior, excluding the deep yellow spiral on his chest and the silver and black clawed robotic digits, was no new sight for the weary hedgehog. _This_ had been the first double, before things got insanely complicated.

"Sonic the Hedgehog," Metal answered in the distinct beeps and clicks of its rudimentary version of the early robot dialect. "Both a pleasure and a disappointment to see you again."

"Doc Eggman sent you after me, huh? Why's that?" Sonic stretched, in no mood to give his double any respect.

"Unlike you, he values my work. I am, after all, the first robot double of you."

"Looks aren't the only thing you get from me." Sonic laughed. "Your pride's through the roof! Besides," He rubbed his eyes. "You're not exactly the _first_ part of that, either. The original model was lost to a conveniently-placed pit of lava. Don't you know, or did Eggman erase that defeat from your memory?"

"I am all but unaware," Metal Sonic straightened up, its jetpack making heat waves. "That the prototype was cast into a sea of lava. My artificial intelligence has weeded out the important bugs of the first model which caused its downfall, such as compassion." The double pointed a missile launcher coming from a pocket on its arm right at Sonic. "Come quietly or else."

Sonic eyed the missile launcher, than appraised his double airily. "Do as you please. Eggman won't let you kill me." He relaxed again.

"I lack compassion, for it is not part of my programming. I repeat; Come quietly, or face the consequences."

"It's been fun." Sonic got up, with Metal Sonic following his movements with the gun. "But, I really must be going." As he ran, Metal Sonic called after him;

"I warned you!"

Sonic tripped. Frantically, he shifted positions to observe the damage. His feet were entrapped in some sort of unbreakable steel membrane that sent nerve-damaging pulses through his fur and into his bloodstream, forcing his body to shut down his leg muscles to prevent further damage. Sonic grinded his teeth and struggled to crawl away.

It was the only time that he remembered that Metal Sonic was faster than the original.

The robot flew over, tossed Sonic over his shoulder roughly, and carried him off. Sonic forced himself to struggle, for Metal Sonic's body was ice cold, and he grunted and made all sorts of noise until a solid like a snake crawled up his body and into his throat and gagged him. Only then did he calm down, but only enough to hear Metal Sonic taunt him:

"I told you so."


	7. Lie My Life

Lie My Life

Sonic woke up in a ball of energy, spinning rapidly at supersonic speeds. He could see very little, except the blue he knew to be himself, from inside the tightly curled ball, and could hear nothing but the hum of it. All he knew was that the ground was going by faster and faster. Sonic forced himself to speed up, unable to uncurl from this state. Something was also keeping him curled up, and it pained him to move from his current position of safety. He wondered blankly how he'd ran while sleeping or while knocked out or whatever his previous state of unconsciousness had been.

He found out soon enough. Something caused him to stop suddenly, and Sonic was thrown against the far wall hard enough for it to hurt. It appeared as if-to his distorted vision-he was in a gym, with various pieces of exercise equipment scattered about. He was so confused…until he saw a fat red blob. "Eggman," he mumbled.

"How are you feeling, dear boy?" asked the doctor, his features becoming clearer to Sonic by the second. He sounded strangely worried.

The hedgehog shook his head. "Fine." He garbled.

"Well, at least you can speak. Even unconscious, you fed my machine quite the amount of energy, dear boy. Well done." Eggman patted him on the head like a regular pet animal. To this unwanted affection, Sonic tore his head away from reach and snarled, baring his predatory white teeth again. The doctor pulled away his hand from an attempted bite. "Ugh. Nasty little creature…" he mumbled, then louder: "Security! Take this brat to his room until he learns his manners! _Now_!"

One of the bigger robots came and apprehended Sonic, handcuffing him and forcing him along with sharp spikes on its chest meant to prick his back just enough so as to hurt fiercely but not draw blood. Sonic groaned. He was basically back where he started; only weaker and more lightheaded than before.

Sonic woke up. Again. His head spun as he rapidly sat up, only to find covers surrounding him.

The fan on the ceiling was rotating, but this was a blur to Sonic, as were the windows and his other various surroundings. He could only feel the covers draped about him, and for now, that was good enough. Sonic fell back amongst the lumpy pillows and mattress, trying to close his eyes and go back to sleep.

No such luck came. Sonic's gut screamed at him for lack of something to do-and he had to admit- he'd rather have it hurt with being chock full of food, rather than vacant, as it now was. He slammed his pillows with his fists, closed his eyes, and basically mimed a temper tantrum. His legs kicked out in all directions, and he forced his mouth shut, the only noises that came out were animalistic sounds of frustration and impatience.

Sonic paused, remembering he was an adult now. He had to stay calm. It took him a few seconds during his breathing exercises-used to calm himself-to wonder where his sneakers were. "Where are my…?" He couldn't finish the question, for someone else answered it.

"At the foot of the bed."

Sonic scratched his head and inched up on his elbows. "Who's there?"

A small robot appeared at the foot of his bed. It was about two or three feet away from him with a camera for its face and a microphone for its mouth, formed into a smile. "Sorry, dear boy." The garbled voice of Eggman paraded through the speaker. "I had to observe you to make sure you weren't dead."

"Death?" Sonic fell back into the pillows and chuckled. "Me? As if!" _Truly,_ he amended mentally. _Death could almost be better than possessing such an empty stomach!_

"Dear boy," Eggman soothed. "I had to be certain. You see, I want you dead no more than your dear friends do. You request improvements as you defeat my greatest schemes and I build bigger, better robots, only to watch you tear them down and it's back to the drawing board. Without you, world domination could never be as fun." He laughed to himself. "Besides, if your friends found you dead in my hands, they would be unable to forgive me."

Sonic stared into the ceiling. "Yeah, yeah. So, you watched me sleep. Uh huh. What exactly do you want with me?"

"Your boundless energy. Of course," his voice receded, showing he was reclining in a chair. "My machine is twelve times too powerful for even you to handle." He sighed. "I must learn to control my creation."

Sonic cringed and turned away from the strange robot he knew to be called Cameraface, as if staring at the wall would make it disappear. Never before in his life had he wanted to return home so badly as now. Where his red guitar and racecar bed awaited him…

"Yes." Eggman continued. "It sounds so cruel, for when I destroyed your town, I uprooted you, then just a small boy, from your home on the plains and immersed you in a new world-a jungle-full of sights and sounds you'd never heard or seen. There, you had to discover how to survive as a loner…"

Where Tails, Knuckles, and even Amy would await his homecoming. A joyous celebration always occurred when he returned. It was a reason to celebrate. Sonic could almost hear the shouts of his friends in his ears…

"…how to survive as an adventurer. The harsh environment taught you to take advantage of your strong feet, as opposed to your naturally weak arms. I never did quite figure out why your arms were so useless during those early days, but they were nonetheless. So, you have me to thank for your powers…"

…he could feel Amy's too-tight embrace around his middle (it made him feel loved, if not deprived of air), and Tails' soft voice welcoming him back, as it had been since they'd met…

"…and, there were the predators. You were so innocent in those days, being prey to the big cats of the jungle. As I watched you grow, however, you slowly became sadistic as you witnessed leopards, tigers, and others behead and disembody all manner of creatures, including creatures not unlike yourself…"

…and Knuckles' silence (perhaps "Knucklehead" had been tricked by Eggman again), which truly allowed him to know he was both a friend and bitter rival. A sparing partner, with which he would do battle. Did anyone win? The real question was if anyone _could_ win…

"…and you soon learned to hunt, your growling stomach often getting the better of you, for you needed protein to fuel your growing powers of super speed and super agility. This you knew. Like a scavenger, you took the leftovers of another's kill at first, but then you learned the means by which to hunt successfully…"

…both he and Knuckles were evenly matched, you see, so usually the fight would go on until they tired of it. It was a solution to problems and more often than not, a way to unwind. Amy, of course, was a great cook and so…

"…and, before my eyes, there you were. You killed creatures of all sorts, from salamanders and millipedes to rats and small pigs. You knew from observation that the best meat was in the belly of the beast, so you figured out ways to get to that meat. Rocks were your favorite, I'd fancy. You learned how to sharpen them…"

…she would cook delicious chili dogs. While she was busy with this, he and Knuckles would spar, or Tails would show Sonic something he'd discovered. All activity ceased when the meal was served, for by then the hedgehog was sure to be starved…

"…by rubbing them against other rocks. And then, you would cut straight to the belly and devour it without a second thought. A few wild years left you lean, sadistic, and uncaring, but with super speed and agility beyond comparison until you came out of the dark and stumbled upon a city…"

Sonic had to stop thinking about eating, but he couldn't. In his mind, he was home, among friends, and devouring as much chili dogs as he could cram into his stomach. He couldn't help taste the beans and the chunky chili that encased them, couldn't help think about wrapping his tongue around the juicy hot dog and taking a bite…

"…where you learned manners and how to be polite and caring to others. After absorbing teachings of a kindly pastor like a sponge, depression struck you down like an illness. A period of self-mutilation followed, where you showed up to lessons from the same pastor with minor injuries at first, like paper cuts. But, the intensity of the injuries grew larger with each passing day. Although you were outwardly nice, pain engulfed you every moment you were alone…"

Tears cascaded down Sonic's cheeks, the stable wall melting before him as water distorted his vision. The memories were all too clear. _It took me forever to forgive myself, after years and years of blind killing of the Supreme Being's creatures. I was hard on myself._

"…And, I felt bad." Eggman did appear to feel bad. His voice became sorrowful. "I felt responsible for your guilt. Out of that ordeal, because you tried to fatally wound yourself so many times, you gained near invincibility. What would be fatal to another only made you wince. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and by my millions of video files, it appears you tried to kill yourself."

"I did." Sonic's voice trembled, but his tone was unnaturally calm. "I tried very hard, with every method I'd learned."

"My boy…" Eggman faltered. "I never meant for you to…"

"But, those years were the best." Sonic recalled gently, almost sleepily. "Yes. I learned how to be outwardly kind and how to talk to people. By the time I left my first city, I was ready to be who I am today. And, then my friends, who are the best people in the world…and then my life so far, till now."

"I can hardly believe your self-sadism was only five years ago." Eggman mused. "You've gotten so strong since then."

"Yeah." Sonic sighed. "But, I will escape, you know. I won't let you rule my life anymore, Eggman. You made me who I am, and I suppose I owe you for that, but you also made me do things I regret-bless the souls of my own kind, who I found already dead and ate myself-and for that, I cannot forgive you." Sonic turned to face the robot, staring straight into the camera lens, eyes fierce like wildfire. "Believe you me, Eggman. I'll be gone before you can blink."

Eggman laughed. "Such is our little game of cat and mouse, no? Ah. Well, I look forward to attempting a recapture."

"As I look forward to defeating you, Eggman." Sonic yawned and turned from the robot. _Father?_ He wondered. _What would my family…my true family…say about who I am today?_


	8. Disturbia?

Disturbia…?

Sonic stared out the window. Another dreary, hurricane day. Leaves, all soaked and skeleton-like, were stuck to the window in all kinds of odd places, like stickers placed on a piece of paper by a young child. He sneezed suddenly.

The room was unbearably cold. Sonic shivered and pulled the ratty comforter over his shoulders. A nice warm meal would surely raise his comfort level and make him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He winced and shifted positions until his ribs were no longer resting on the uncomfortable springs under him. He sighed and closed his eyes again.

The door opened. He vaguely acknowledged it. "Good evening, Master Sonic." It was a maid-bot, with a square head and a rectangular black and white body painted to look like a maid's outfit. "Can I get you anything? Master Robotnick's orders."

"Call me Sonic." Insisted the hedgehog sleepily. "No honorifics. And, um, yeah you can." Sonic racked his brain for something he really wanted right now. Actually, he was really in the mood for… "Could I have a bottle of water and some nachos?"

"Of course, Sonic." The maid-bot departed.

Sonic eyed the camera on the wall. "Good night, Eggman."

"So, you've found the camera? I shouldn't be surprised." Eggman answered wearily. "I've been anxiously observing you for the better part of six hours, waiting for a sign of life…anything. You're awake now, so that's good."

"Six hours." Sonic contemplated this. "How long have I been here?"

"Hmm." Eggman paused for a long time, possibly to calculate the amount of days. "Five months and twelve hours. So, 492 hours."

"Sorry I asked," Sonic kneaded the pillow restlessly. "That's four hundred whatever…how much did you say it was?"

"Four hundred and ninety two."

"What you said. Yeah, that many hours without food…" Sonic cringed. "Ugh. I don't even want to think about it."

"What? I assumed you ate as soon as you escaped! You evaded me for six or seven hours!" He sounded alarmed.

"Calm down. Don't crack your shell." Sonic gestured aimlessly with his hand, sounding and acting rather like a hippie.

"Calm down?! If I had any idea you were…! You're just wasting away! That isn't good for your…"

"Spare me the talk, old egg." Sonic answered gently. "I rule myself."

"So, how did you have the willpower to starve for so long, my boy?"

"Eh. I had a long talk with myself." Sonic yawned. "Nice job teaching your maid-bots honorifics. Once there's a nice warm meal in my belly, I'm outta here."

"We'll see. You have no idea how uncharacteristic you appear to me." Eggman chuckled dryly.

"Big words screw me, Eggy. Just gimme my nachos." Sonic settled underneath the covers and fell into a strange but easy sleep.


	9. Ophelia

Ophelia

Sonic rubbed his eyes. It was almost dark, and there was no clock for Sonic to tell time. He'd awoke because he smelled the odd smell of cold salsa.

Yep. He'd left it there, and it had become cold. Sonic sniffed it first, then gave it a tentative lick with his tongue-and recoiled it with masterful speed. "Yuck!" He exclaimed, spitting out the slimy taste. "It's freezing! Hmm," He glanced over at the chips. His belly reminded him that he needed nourishment, especially if he intended to escape. He picked up a triangular chip between two fingers and nibbled the end of it.

The chips were stale, but edible and a touch salty; the way Sonic liked them. Without the protein in the chili, it was a dry meal, but enough. Sonic was already freed from the restraining covers, so he stood on tender muscles and tested for balance.

He nearly lost it upon setting foot on the ground! Unused to being so undernourished, he banged the side of his ribcage into the bedside table-miraculously not upsetting the chili or the chips-while trying to regain his balance, and finally collapsed into the bed, panting. "God," He gasped. "I'm too weak even to stand!"

This hurt his pride and he moaned, tears coming to the corners of his eyes. He was frustrated and frightened and homesick. He wanted out. Now. Presently, a rather loud noise from outside caught his attention.

Sonic's ears pricked towards the sound. It was a roar from a big cat. Sonic's automatic translator-of-a-brain (useful for an adventurer to possess) quickly reverted it to normal English. "Get out," He repeated in an undertone of the same language. He switched positions until he was resting on his ankles, and opened the crank window behind him. Leaning upon the window sill, he looked out at the scene.

A big cat covered in armor (he thought by the dialect it must've been a snow leopard) was pacing in a black wire cage about two or three feet higher and longer than the leopard was tall (upon hind legs) and wide. So he was not the only captured animal here! Sonic noted that a Cameraface was paying close attention to the leopard's pacing. The hedgehog, his curiosity peaked, listened while snacking upon the nachos.

"Ophelia," Eggman was speaking through a translator; Sonic could tell because of the false vibrations of the roars and growls that formed the words.

"Don't call me that!" The leopard snarled. "Get out!"

With the first nourishment in many days came knowledge forgotten in times of famine. Sonic had known that, in old dialects now forgotten, the snow leopards would sometimes call the fastest among them Ophelia, or Orpheus, depending on sex. Both names meant "wind rider", but had a vague meaning "violet storm-tossed waters". Wind rider. Now, Sonic knew what to call himself when talking to her. If he did, that is.

"My dear lady," Eggman continued. "You have so much potential. You're the fastest among your rare kind. You would make such a nice robot."

_Ah_, Sonic thought. _She's merely a cyborg! _He took the time to notice that her eyes were red. Had her vision been bad, so that Eggman would replace her eyes with sensors? Or, had he tested on her?

"Go away!" Ophelia bared her teeth and attacked the side of the cage. For her brash actions, several robots with tsars came to sedate her. From her wild tendencies, she must've been no more than a juvenile, perhaps his age or younger. "I never want to see you again! Why won't you let me free?!"

"Child," Eggman soothed. "I need your energy, for my other source has fallen short. Please, please help me, my child."

Both Sonic and Ophelia now felt animosity towards the doctor. Both teens snarled at him. Sonic could watch no more and closed the window with a few cranks of the bar. He sighed. "So, Eggman," He mused, glaring at the rest of the chips gone uneaten. "You've ruined more lives than mine."

A maid-bot interrupted his thoughts. "Will there be anything else, Sonic?"

"A root beer. Cold. No ice." Sonic commanded absently. He'd come to accept his capture and was glad for nourishment. His eyes, however, were nearly dead with hopelessness. Eggman had described him as "uncharacteristic". This shadow of Sonic's former self had probably been what he meant.

After drinking the root beer, Sonic dove into memories of freedom and wind. The hurricane weather had passed, and he looked forward to returning home.


	10. The Behavior of a Man

The Behavior of a Man

Sonic woke up crying for reasons unknown. He only realized because his breaths came quickly and disjointedly and salty tears dripped into his mouth. Without second thought, he turned into the pillow and sobbed as quietly as he could. The room around him was dark, cold, and unfamiliar. Loneliness and devastation made him cry.

Sonic pricked himself with the end of a sharp quill. This brought forth blood from his shoulder. The warmth of it dripping down his arm calmed him, oddly enough. He could smell it. Blood reminded him of a hard life out in the wild where cuts and scrapes and wounds that draw blood are expected and natural. It reminded him of the road.

Sonic gave himself a few minutes to calm down, his breaths slowly becoming soft and regulated. He sat up more and glanced about him.

The room was relatively quiet, though searchlights played cross his pillow from the outside world. Sonic inched up until he was resting on his ankles and peered out the window.

A faint light shone on Ophelia's cage. She was curled up, perhaps asleep, but it was hard to tell. The searchlights scanned the interior of the place, making escape close to impossible. Sonic was lonely.

He opened the window (for some reason, it was harder than it had been before). Vaguely, he remembered Eggman had said his arms had been weak in early years. One hand rested over his stomach. It was churning uncomfortably, leaving him empty. He sighed and leaned out on the sill…but recoiled suddenly in pain.

His ribs and midsection had pressed against the headboard. In the passing light of the searchlight, Sonic could tell (even underneath his tan belly fur) that he was bruised. A large, purple mark had made itself painfully known there. He sighed. Lack of nourishment was causing his body to become soft. His empty belly growled in response and his eyelids grew heavy. He managed a low whine in the snow leopard dialect, meant to grab attention.

Ophelia's head rose and she looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. Sonic crawled ever closer to the windowsill, careful not to lean against the headboard this time, and gave a long, low purr. "Up here."

Ophelia craned her neck up to look at him. "You. You must be the other source of energy for this man."

Sonic growled. "Unfortunately, yes. The name is Orpheus in your tongue."

"I am surprised you know my tongue. I am Ophelia."

"A wonder among your kind," Sonic mewed.

"You must be, too. What is your true name, Orpheus?"

He had to think a moment about the direct translation of his name into the leopard tongue. He used a secondary word for "wind rider" that had an aftertaste of the common tongue to it. "Sonic." He answered at last.

"Ah, I'm catching Sonic, right? Your grasp on the dialect is feeble." Ophelia growled in response.

"Rusty, I'm afraid," Sonic answered. "But, yes."

There was a long silence, during which Sonic's stomach voiced its own opinion on the matter. Sonic, despite the pain it brought, wrenched both fists into his midsection and held them there. Ophelia was restless. Maybe she was hungry, too.

She spoke, breaking Sonic's concentration on this action. "What race are you?"

"Hedgehog." Sonic remembered the growl-purr that formed the rudimentary word for "spiny creature" easily. He'd often used it to identify himself among many of the big cats. The growl in "spiny" showed he wasn't good to eat, but the purr assured them he was friendly. The word "hedgehog" in this language was universal; every dialect knew it.

Ophelia purred. "Oh. Am I allowed to see you?"

Sonic chuckled. "I'll climb down in a minute," he promised. Cranking open the window as far as it would go, Sonic judged the distance towards the ground. In his weakened state, it was a dizzying height. His throat burned with thirst, but he ignored it. The roof was the alternate way down, and Sonic wondered how slippery the shingles were.

Very. As soon as he stepped out, he was sliding down the roof. Disoriented, he lowered the volume of a frightened yelp and was soon deposited into the damp grass beneath. Uninjured but soaked from his slippery ride down and his landing spot, he shook himself, deftly avoided the searchlights, and sat cross-legged before her.

Ophelia purred, rubbing her nose against the side of the cage. "Hw beautiful your fur is! I've never seen such a brilliant blue coat!"

Sonic blushed. "Erm…well, actually…" He paused, uncertain how to word this. "I…um…well…" He sighed, took a deep breath, and started over. Her eyes were confused. "This isn't my natural color, you see. It's just because my coat is wet." He shook himself. "I'm terribly undernourished, you see, so my blue is probably a lot duller now."

Her pink tongue appeared from her parted lips. Sonic removed one glove and placed the hand up to the cage. It was relatively dry, but Ophelia's sandpaper tongue washed it completely dry. She studied the more-gray-than-blue fur as Sonic was also appraising it. He hadn't even known his fur's true color! No wonder Eggman was so apologetic.

Ophelia whined, rubbing her head against his hand. "Look at you! You _are_ malnourished! Your fur is dull and lifeless!"

Sonic shook his head. "Don't worry about me," he protested, drops of water flying from the tips of his quills. His winter coat's growth was stunted by malnourishment and the autumn edge to the air made him shiver in his sneakers. "I'm all right." He sneezed again, but recovered fairly quickly.

Ophelia sighed and stared straight at him with her sensor eyes. "I'm accessing your blood sugar levels and other such things. It isn't very high. In fact, the low numbers are almost fatal. And, your blood-water content in low as well."

Sonic made sense of what she was saying. His body was suffering from dehydration, as well as malnourishment, and that wasn't good at all. He sighed again, this time it was exasperated. "What am I going to do?"

Ophelia purred. "Don't fret. I'm sure you'll think of something."

Sonic yawned hugely. "Yeah. I know."

"You're tired," Ophelia purred affectionately. "Get some rest."

"Just one more thing," Sonic insisted urgently. "How old are you?"

"In your years, I am sixteen." Ophelia's eyes were elsewhere, most likely locked on the base behind Sonic. It was a looming, inky black and was at home in the spooky world created by the faint rainy mist. "Go. If he finds you out here…"

"Right." Sonic nodded, a growl thundering in his throat.

There was no word for "good bye" in the snow leopard dialect. They didn't believe in mental departure; in other words, "good byes" were only physical. So, he used the word they replaced it with. "Peace." He raised his hand to communicate the farewell.

Ophelia lifted her violet-tipped paw in a similar gesture. "Peace." She answered softly.

Sonic turned around to leave, only to be caught by the blinding light of the searchlight and also by a tsar toting robot. He didn't have time to react before receiving a sharp zap in his ribs. He gasped and collapsed into cold arms.


	11. The Peace is in the Maker

The Peace is in the Maker

"You faked all this! Foolishness!"

"If I _was_ faking, surely I would've escaped by _now_!"

It was evident that something had formed between the two mortal enemies. It was acknowledgement of codependency, but that didn't mean the parties involved had to like it.

Sonic bared his teeth and tugged against his restraints: lead chains three or four feet thick. Of course, lead is poison, and just breathing it in was making Sonic queasy. Even he, who was so durable, could easily die or come close to death from longtime exposure to it. So, of course, this was an advantage Eggman had. The doctor was so used to having lead around that he was barely bothered by it, a trait Sonic had never acquired, so here he was at a loss.

He spoke like a father scolding his son. "You disappoint me."

Sonic snarled, his teeth bared. He was no more a rebellious teen but a furious hero. "Let me go and I'll _disappoint_ you all the way to the afterlife!" His anger shone in his emerald eyes, which were swiftly turning black. "Only _you_ could think I would lie about such a touchy subject." And he spit purposefully towards his nemesis, merely ten feet away at the far end of the conference room, eating again.

"Bad, bad rodent!" Eggman wagged a finger at him with a scolding air, arising after finishing the rest of the tempting meal. "Show your elders some…"

But, Sonic fiercely interrupted, rattling the chains as he pulled. "Put a sock in it!" He shouted, his eyes looking like a pair of moonless nights in the dim lighting.

Eggman measured the hedgehog's anger, eyeing the way his body tensed when he said certain words. He analyzed-tasted, so to speak- his nemesis' mood. Sonic continued to angrily rattle the chains as Eggman came to stand not three feet from the entire length of the chain's endpoint. "You're hungry," The words were regretful, almost as if he were sorry he'd spoken them.

Sonic's relenting barrage against the lead chains paused. The darkness in his eyes brightened as he blinked in surprise. He didn't have a witty comeback for that…maybe because it was true? "No I'm not." The answer was subtle.

"No, your tone is strange…" the doctor crossed to the window at left. Sonic watched him wearily. "Lacking- I should say- it's usual spirit, don't you agree? And, of course, your eyes…" The doctor shivered as if cold…or fearful. "If only you could see how black they are."

Sonic retreated a few steps so he had room to move his hands freely again, for they were restrained against the wall, and placed two fingers from his left hand upon the hollow under his left eye, as if this would allow him to sense the sudden color change. It took him all of three seconds, then, to latch on to Eggman's train of thought. "Oh no," he warned, pulling forward swiftly. "I'm not going to trust you again!" This response was a defiant hiss.

Eggman shrugged, turning from the window a little so his face was angled towards the hedgehog's. "Oh, I don't need your trust." His grin made Sonic uncomfortable. "Your stomach will surely do the talking. Excuse the pun." He added shortly.

Sonic's anger rose to dangerously high levels, his impatience blown far out of proportion by overwhelming fatigue. A snarl tore through Sonic's entire body and forced open his lips. It echoed against the room's walls, still ringing seconds after it was over. Agony and a need to protect his bare chest caused him to retreat into himself, curling up against his body. The snarl frightened him almost as much as it frightened Eggman, who was still listening to the echo of it, the hairs on his mustache trembling.

"I…I didn't know you had it in you to be so…animalistic." He breathed at last.

Sonic busied himself with pushing both fists into his chest and whimpering when they pressed the bruise that lay there. For a moment, the eyes of creator and created lay motionless upon each other, then flicked away; one set to the window, the other to the delicious-smelling plate at the front of the room.

It smelled like turkey to Sonic and he craved it. Images of meat ran through his brain, scattering his thoughts. His arms dropped swiftly to his sides and his eyes became green and glassy, staring into space.

Eggman had taken note of the rapid sounds of the chains dropping and had turned to look. Sonic, too deep in daydreams, hadn't noticed his enemy's attention was now focused on him. Eggman leaned his back against the black windowsill and chuckled lightly, while Sonic continued to dream.

Suddenly, the silence was broken.

"I told you."

It was Eggman. Sonic shook himself of the daydream and turned to glower at the doctor. "What do you mean?" The words were measured, cautious.

"I'm pretty sure you weigh something like seventy five when healthy?"

Sonic was confused at the question. Though men were not as sensitive about weight as women were, he was a little worried at his enemy's sudden curiosity.

Eggman took this new silence as an answer in the affirmative and continued. "So now, you must be, like, oh, I'm not sure." He sighed in thought. "Maybe…forty? I never pay much attention when the robots give you check ups."

"They've _touched _me?!" Sonic squeaked in surprise.

Eggman ignored the reaction. "Underweight, of course. You might be far lighter, I don't know. How do you feel?"

Sonic didn't want to answer the question. He straightened up a little, but curled back up as a low rumble beat like a war drum inside him. "Be quiet," he snarled, too soft for Eggman to hear.

"But of course you are," Eggman soothed. "I saw the way you stared longingly at the plate up there. I'm not sure about your senses, but even I can smell it from here." He sighed. "Poor boy. I'm really killing you, and I didn't even mean to."

Sonic growled to cover up his stomach's ranting, and backed closer towards the wall. Maybe it was the lead, but his legs were trembling now. Weakly, he half-collapsed by the wall in a heap of gray-blue fur and spines. His ears barely had the energy to remain upright and they bent over as if folded on a perfect crease. He yawned hugely, too tired to raise a hand to hide it and rested his head against the cool wall.

"Tired?" Eggman mused. "I'm sorry. I should send you back to your room."

"I'm fine," Sonic growled, pushing away from the wall and baring his teeth. _Maybe_. He thought. He couldn't be sure he was being honest, but to his enemy, why tell the truth? The turkey smell danced in his nose again. His tongue involuntarily crossed his lips. "Meat." He murmured softly.

Eggman turned away from him to watch the rain. "Do you want to eat? I won't take that away from you."

"Ha!" Sonic snapped. But, the anger drained his energy, so he said softly: "Maybe."

"I'm sure you would prefer to eat _en chambre_." Eggman wondered randomly, walking close to stoop over him and undo the lead chains.

Sonic took a deep breath and wrung his hands. Then, his eyes-with their childish charm-looked upward at Eggman. "Thanks."

Eggman turned away, aloof again. Sonic laughed softly. Then, the doctor turned back to him. "Turkey?" He asked.


	12. Home

Home

_Much later…_

Sonic was smug. He endured Eggman's torture patiently. Even Eggman seemed aware of Sonic's imminent escape.

The torture was that Sonic had to watch Eggman eat three-course meals throughout the day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). It was challenging, but not impossible. Breakfast was the hardest, because his stomach was the most awake then. That, and breakfast foods were some of his favorites.

Sonic loved to eat. Why? Because he simply could. He could eat as much as he wanted to and never gain a pound, never an ounce! His speed allowed him that freedom to eat whatever, whenever he wanted. So, for him to wait and watch was awkward and painful, especially when he smelled sausages.

The length of the chain allowed him to get close to but not eat the food before him. It was unbearable. His stomach was growling and, for a moment, his focus was on it, wishing he could eat.

Eggman smirked, enjoying every second of this. Sonic, noting his enemy's grin, forced himself to look away and close his eyes, aloof. Of course, shutting off one sense opened the others all the stronger and the smells, sounds, and tastes were too overwhelming. One green orb opened again and glared at Eggman viciously.

"Come now, dear boy," Eggman soothed. "Don't you want it?"

Sonic snarled without baring his teeth, a low, dry snarl of impatience. The doctor swiveled uneasily in his chair as Sonic forced his voice to be raspy and harsh. "Why would I want it?" The next part was velvety sweet, which almost made it more threatening than the snarl. "You've already touched it, anyway." And, to further show his ignorance, he dropped to his knees and played tiddly winks with bits of dust and some dead beetles.

"You take leave of your senses." Eggman retorted, inching back into the black leather until his spine was aligned with the curve of the chair. He was reassuring himself. _Sonic can't possibly not want it_.

Sonic scoffed, tossing his head. His quills landed on his shoulders when this action was finished. "My senses, Robuttnick? Really?" His voice was a touch high, as if he was avoiding laughter. "To my senses, these-" he held up a dead cockroach between two fingers. "-look more appealing than anything _you've_ touched."

"So eat it," Eggman teased.

Sonic shrugged, his shoulders rolling easily. "I'm not hungry."

Eggman growled. "You _have _to be!"

"Sorry, Eggy," Sonic yawned, brushing away the dust and dead bugs. "But if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna take a little trip."

"To where?" Eggman snarled.

But, Sonic's head was already lolling against the wall, the chain around his neck making a sorrowful noise as his chest moved it up and down. One hand rested playfully across his midsection, his legs curled together in a protective but sleepy pose. His sleep was uneasy, cursed by convulsions as if he knew to sleep here was a risk.

And, any other time but this moment would've been a risk indeed.

Eggman stood and crossed to the hedgehog, kneeling down to his level. Sonic's mouth parted a little, but closed again as if he sensed Eggman, and the boy drew away, curling more into himself. Eggman's hand raised, but instead of striking him gently rested it upon his head, as he might do with his son. The hedgehog seemed to tremble lightly under the touch, but was fully knocked out. Otherwise, he wouldn't of allowed such contact.

The older genius sighed and placed the hand instead over the hedgehog's free hand, gently protruding from his curled figure. The fingers trembled as Eggman studied them, feeling the bones concealed by the off-white gloves and a thin, silk-like layer of skin. The hedgehog moaned in his sleep and inched into himself even further, drawing his hand back with the speed he was known for.

Eggman, surprised, rested on his heels a moment and dimly heard a stomach that was not his own growling. A convulsion struck Sonic again and the chains rattled mercilessly as he shook and shivered. "Poor boy," Eggman murmured in a fatherly undertone. "Poor hedgehog child. My dear, dear son." His hand reached out, but Sonic inched farther away, snarling. So, even in sleep he knew he was suffering! Eggman chuckled, standing with some difficulty. "Ah, you won't let me touch you? A reaction to your health, I'm sure. True, for sick animals often prefer their own company."

Sonic's answer was a soft moan.

"You don't know how much I owe to you, how much I-as much as I loathe to say it-adore you. It is good you are unconscious. You could never understand how much I care for you. My son. My creation." Eggman sighed, turning to the window as the storm began to fight the glass for a way in. Some raindrops escaped the outside world and came in. Sonic inched away from them, turning to face the older man. His face was troubled, as if he was having a nightmare. But, fast as fast can be, his emotions changed to almost happy and then simply calm.

"But," Eggman continued mournfully. "The feeling, of course, is not mutual. You hate me for committing what you consider murder, and I never expected you to feel that way for me. It made you sick to think of me as your father. Is it true that I hate you for not submitting to my rule, to becoming my heir?" Sonic stirred and the doctor crossed to the table. The plate had been taken away by some mindless robot. "No. It was because…because you could never think of me as a…" But, he was forced to stop.

Sonic stirred and awoke. His sleep had been short-lived because of fitful dreams and, of course, the emptiness inside of him. But, what could be done? After all, he wouldn't willingly show weakness anymore. Not when home was merely hours away from his touch. Eggman turned to look at him and behind the glasses, his eyes sparkled with tears. But, Sonic couldn't see this, as the doctor was clothed in shadow.

"What do _you_ want, Eggman?" Sonic's tone was bitter, and the accented word was very nearly a snarl of distaste.

"Your chains need to be heavier," Eggman mused. "You can still move freely when attached to them."

"They're heavy enough," Sonic argued slowly, wondering why the previous comment had been said in such a mournful tone of voice. "Chains simply can't hold me back, Eggman."

The doctor snapped his fingers and a few thousand Butterlies appeared. They were new and improved, with needles on every inch of their bodies. As they landed on Sonic, they injected him with a deadly black syrup that coated his quills like tar and made breathing close to impossible. Sonic coughed, feeling like a tar-covered bird. The inky black stuff stuck in his throat like phlegm and was impossible to swallow. The hedgehog had never been sick for long, so this thing that was impossible to swallow confused him, and he gagged. However, the tar still stayed in his throat as more and more Butterlies covered his body, their lacey wings like cobwebs all about him.

"There," Eggman chuckled, obviously satisfied with his work. "_Now_ you cannot move." His fingers snapped again and the Butterlies retreated to parts unknown.

Sonic, now looking like a shadow himself, the blue fur hidden beneath mounds of tar, looked up, his green eyes blurred by the soft glow that allowed him to see in near darkness. His pupils made his eyes almost black as they expanded to allow light in. "You monster," He garbled, spitting out some tar and gagging on mounds more of it.

"That's better," The doctor turned to the window again. "Now the playing field is even."

"Not even close," Sonic's throat bubbled uncomfortably as he snarled. It was like blowing bubbles in chocolate milk, only in your throat. "I still have the upper hand."

Eggman chortled. "Ha! Really?" He crossed his arms over his chest, looking at his greatest foe and wildest creation out of the corner of his eye. "You're covered in tar, my boy. It kills many a seabird every year, and it is stuck in your throat as well as on your fur! You've nowhere to run, because you cannot break the lead chains. Your spirit has come back, and I don't know why. But, I intend to break it again." And, the evil eyes glowed red very faintly.

Sonic coughed, snarling, and did his best to stand. The combination of tar and lead was hurtful, as the tar was getting lead in it, and as Sonic inhaled and swallowed bits of tar, lead was ending up inside him, poisoning him little by little. His vision blacked out for five seconds and then came back. "You son of a…" The curse was interrupted by a build-up of tar in his throat. Sonic gasped for air and fell to the floor again, spitting wildly. His air passages were blocked.

Eggman watched his creation struggle in silence, for no laughter came from his lips.


	13. Tar

Tar

Darkness, and all of a sudden, light. Was darkness always there? Then, light, therefore, was created by the superior being? And, light was good? So, was darkness bad?

Some dark things were bad. Sonic, not knowing why he was thinking this, ran off those bad things in his head. Tar was bad, and it was pitch black. Moonless nights were bad. Not even a wolf's howl graced the silence. Blindness was bad. Sonic couldn't see right now, and his heart was pounding in his chest with fright. Shadow, his evil entity, was bad. And yet, he had been created to be the ultimate good.

Sonic stopped, surprised by this conjecture. A knife pressed into his back. Sonic yelped through his teeth and made some kind of animalistic noise of hate. The robot clicked back, but it was too fast for Sonic to translate. He didn't know why he was suddenly blind, and fearful thoughts ran through his head. Was this permanent? How would he survive? How could he get home without sight? Did Eggman do this?

That last thought caused Sonic to growl deep in his throat. "Eggman." The growl was pronounced now, rumbling faintly through his body and out his lips.

The doctor laughed far off, and Sonic's enhanced hearing picked up on it. This sense also picked up another growl, a faint reminder that he was on his last legs as far as nutrition was concerned. But, he'd survived in far worse condition, and this made him smug. His nose picked up some interesting flavors, like hard-boiled eggs. Sonic bit his tongue to keep it from escaping his mouth. As his feet moved forward (he could tell, because the air was pushing at his face and not his back), the tempting smell became more pronounced. He gravely wished the smell of rotting fish to be associated with this man as he stopped.

The robot didn't poke his back with the knife. Sonic kind of wished he could smell his blood. That, surely, would calm him enough. As it was, though, he was growing ever more wild, but whether from hunger or blindness he couldn't be sure.

"Ah, my good friend Sonic the Rodent." The doctor's voice was like velvet, which made it all the more deadly, like a snake's lullaby.

"You smell like hard-boiled eggs, Eggman," Sonic mused, his voice just as velvety soft. "Funny. I thought you'd smell more like raw eggs."

"Enough talk, rodent!" Eggman spat. "Time for your afternoon tests!"

"Scantron?" Sonic cocked his head, finding his vision was slowly returning. "I can't really sit still for more than a few seconds, you know, doctor."

"Oh no, you won't have to sit still for _this _test." Eggman answered. His back was turned on Sonic and he was lounging in a big, black suede chair that looked very comfortable. Sonic was jealous for a short moment, but his outdoorsy nature overpowered his small-town nature easily. He was led into a big white room that almost blinded him again. Still dripping with tar, he lifted his arm to shield his eyes and inched backwards. Something sharp pierced his skin and red blood stained the tile floor.

Sonic took a deep breath and his nose filled with the calming scent of his own blood. It was strange that this made him feel better, but it reminded him of freedom in a way. A freedom that was hard-won.

"Welcome to my testing chamber." Eggman's voice said over an invisible loudspeaker. "Should you choose to accept and pass, you shall be the first to survive. Should you choose not to accept…"

"I accept!" Sonic shouted, his voice echoing off the white walls. He didn't need to think about that one.

"Very well, naïve rodent. Shall we begin the test?"

Sonic's arms crossed over his chest and he yawned in boredom. "You know well that my answer is "yes", doctor."

"Very well." Eggman answered. "Begin the test!"

Sonic's attention was brought to large spouts suddenly appearing out of the walls, three on each side. They were wide, and the place suddenly smelled faintly of… "Water?!" Sonic's voice was terrified. "I hate water!"

Eggman laughed through the loudspeaker. Sonic's head whipped about, searching for the source, a growl in his throat. "I told you, boy, that if you survive, you'll be the first!"

"Lard butt," Sonic hissed under his breath. The water was lapping at his ankles now, and was swiftly rising. To his knees, to his hips, to his chest! He found himself to be floating, and, thinking quickly, he removed his shoes and socks. The socks floated until they became wet and sunk, but his shoes left him easily. Feeling as if his soul had been torn at the loss of these sources of comfort, he struggled to keep his head above the water.

It was difficult, for the water was insanely rough. Sonic went under and back up as if he was part of a pattern. His gloves became soaked and slipped off his fingers. Finally, water covered every inch of the playing field. On his last breath, Sonic sunk down at few feet and waited for death. But, Sonic's lungs were strong and they held on to life.

Sonic noticed that the tar was flowing off his body into the water. _Cool_. He thought. _This is useful after all_! Of course, Sonic was beginning to run out of air. His lungs were screaming. Sonic clamped his mouth tight. _I won't die. I can't!_

Right in the nick of time, a margin of space opened up where there was no water. Sonic flailed upwards toward the air. His nose hit it before his head and he took a deep breath.

"What?!" Eggman shouted. "You were supposed to die!"

"Die?" Sonic asked innocently, looking around and then proudly gesturing to himself. "Moi? Non, non, Eggman. Not me."

"You can't even make a French sentence!" Accused Eggman. "How _dare_ you insult me by surviving that!"

"Oops," Sonic shrugged as his feet alighted on the ground and shook himself like a dog. The, he relocated his shoes, socks, and gloves, affectionately wringing them until they were dry. His shoes were still a little damp, but at least they were lighter. Satisfied, he put them on and searched for a door. "Let me out, Eggy! I passed your little test!"

"I never said you _passed_, naïve rodent. You see, the test has only begun." And, his laughter faded into the distance.

"And they call me a hog…" Sonic mumbled. "Let's see." He paused, than dropped to a sitting position. The walls were a pure, blinding white and the room was huge. It was likely that, from here, he would never see a door. But, what if the door wasn't on the wall.

Sonic stood and found a trap door beneath him. "Success!" Sonic laughed. He pulled open the wooden door and crawled out. He found himself outside of Eggman's base in the wet world that was apparently outside. He stepped out cautiously, afraid of beams that might entrap him, or tripwires that might set off alarms…

It was silent, but for the rain drip-dropping off the leaves of the trees all around him. "Maybe Eggman ate turkey again," Sonic whispered to himself, his ears alert and waiting to be caught. But, the silence reined, and it seemed that even the robots were snoozing.

"Phew," Sonic took a deep breath and sighed. Now was his chance for escape! E realized this and nearly shouted. He was about to sneak away and then he thought of the other bionic compound here.

"Ophelia!" Sonic snapped his fingers as he remembered. "I almost forgot about her!" He bent down, like a runner getting into position, and then like a bullet, off he ran through the torrent of rain. Thunder rolled in the distance and a white flash of lightning danced across the sky. He found the violet-tipped snow leopard in no time at all.

"Ophelia!" He cried in her language. "C'mon! I'll get you out of here!"

Ophelia turned slowly, now more robot than snow leopard. Her language was the beeps and clicks rudimentary to the robot language. "Go on, Sonic. Save yourself."

"Ophelia," Sonic felt tears in his eyes. His fellow prisoner was now a full robot. "I'm sorry he did this to you."

A robotic paw touched his finger affectionately. "You did nothing to help him with this. I can still help, for I still have my will!"

"But, for how long?" Sonic asked anxiously. "At least let me get you out of here."

Ophelia shook her metallic head. "I've got trackers all over me, designed to trace my path as soon as I leave here. You've got to go and leave me behind!"

Sonic's head bowed, tears rattling his being. "My friend…"

The cold robot nose nudged him gently. "Oh come now, Sonic. We snow leopards are tough. I'll be _fine_. Now, get out of here!" She pushed him away. "Go!"

Sonic ran, never once looking back.


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue

"What then, daddy?" The little girl tugged her father's quills.

"Sonic went home." The father said solemnly.

"Didn't he ever save Ophelia?" The little boy asked.

"What did he do when he got home? Did Amy strangle him?"

"You can't just end it that way, daddy," The two children shared a disappointed glance.

"I think I can," The father answered, smiling upon his little ones. "You've already had your dinner and you're falling asleep in my lap. It's high time little heroes got their shuteye."

"_Real_ heroes don't _have_ a bedtime." Whined the little girl, tugging on her quills absently. Her brother took her hand in his affectionately and nodded.

"Double-teamed!" The father chuckled, raising both children into his arms and putting one on each of his strong shoulders. The children squealed and laughed as he paraded around the room, dancing up and down. "How do you like me now, huh? I'm too used to being outnumbered!"

"Daddy!" The children screamed.

"Put them down, or you'll have the whole neighborhood at our doorstep," His wife appeared again, standing at the door. Both the father and the two children were disappointed.

"Aw, mom!" The little boy whined, interlacing his hand with his sister's once again.

"You're no fun!" The girl agreed, a pout crossing her face.

"No, your mother's right, kids," The father put them on the floor, ignoring a fresh chorus of "aw why"s and "it's not fair"s. "Early to bed, early to rise, remember? If you two get on to bed now, think how much energy you'll have!"

"Yeah!" The children chorused. "Then we can bug you more, daddy!"

The father laughed and ruffled his children's quills. "You never bug me. But," He kissed both of them in turn. "We'll do whatever you'd like tomorrow."

"Yay!" The two children raced off, their hands still interlaced.

"Phew!" The father collapsed into his chair and yawned hugely. "Those two are a handful!"

"You'd know," His wife teased, spooning some chili skillfully onto a hotdog.

The father sniffed. "Mmm. My favorite."

His wife sashayed into the room and offered her hand to him. "When _are _you going to tell them who you are, honey?"

"When I decide to," Sonic answered.


End file.
